Cen Yao turned a page and froze.
The prices on the menu left her silent.
A cup of the most ordinary milk tea cost five points.
A serving of strawberry ice cream cost eight points.
A small slice of cake cost twelve points.
Cen Yao looked up. “Is everything in the player space this expensive?”
Pei Tinglan picked up the plain tea on the table.
“Everything here has to be exchanged with points.”
“Food, lodging, training grounds, equipment repairs, item purchases, and even basic medical services.”
Looking at the menu, Cen Yao suddenly understood why so many players were so stingy with their points.
They earned points in the dungeons.
But living in the player space cost points.
Buying items, weapons, and medicine also cost points.
If they wanted to survive, they had to keep entering dungeons.
This wasn't a rest at all.
It was merely a brief respite before the next struggle.
Zhu Lingxi, however, had already ordered a serving of strawberry ice cream.
She stared intently at the whipped cream and strawberries piled high in the picture.
“This looks like it would taste good.”
Cen Yao smiled.
“Then order it.”
“We got an SSS-rank rating today, so consider it a celebration.”
Zhu Lingxi originally wanted to say they shouldn't waste points.
But after staring at the picture for another two seconds, she nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
Cen Yao ordered a chocolate lava cake for herself and a cup of plain tea for Pei Tinglan.
Pei Tinglan glanced at it.
“I didn't say I wanted to drink anything.”
“Didn't you order some just now?”
“I ordered the free tea that comes with the shop.”
Cen Yao: “...”
This man actually drew a line even at something free.
Seeing her speechless expression, the corners of Pei Tinglan's lips curved slightly.
“Spend wisely.”
The desserts were served quickly.
Zhu Lingxi looked at the large cup of strawberry ice cream, carefully scooped up a spoonful, and put it into her mouth.
The cold, sweet, and soft cream melted on the tip of her tongue.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
Then, as if afraid of losing her composure, she tried her best to maintain a calm expression.
Yet her round, cat-like eyes had already narrowed slightly with satisfaction.
Cen Yao found it amusing.
“Is it good?”
Zhu Lingxi nodded seriously.
“It is.”
“Sweeter than the offerings on the altar.”
Cen Yao was taken aback.
“You can eat the things on your family's altar?”
“Yes,” Zhu Lingxi said. “Once we've finished offering them to the gods, they're for us to eat.”
“Though they're mostly pastries and fruits. Grandma didn't let me eat too much sugar. She said opera singers need to protect their voices.”
As she spoke, she scooped another small spoonful of ice cream.
“No one is here to control me now.”
Cen Yao couldn't help but laugh.
“Then eat a bit more today.”
“Okay,” Zhu Lingxi replied cheerfully.
Pei Tinglan looked at them and suddenly spoke. “Since you want to learn about the player space, listen carefully.”
Cen Yao immediately sat up straight.
“Alright.”
Pei Tinglan set down his teacup, his tone much more patient than usual.
“The place we are in right now is called the player space.”
“It is an area for players to rest, train, and live after clearing a dungeon.”
“The flow of time in a dungeon is different from that in the player space. No matter how many days, weeks, or even years you spend in a dungeon, as long as you survive and clear it, usually only one to two days will have passed by the time you return to the player space.”
Cen Yao's spoon paused in mid-air.
“No matter how long we spend in a dungeon, only one or two days pass in the player space?”
“More or less,” Pei Tinglan said. “There are a very few exceptional cases, but most dungeons follow this rule.”
Zhu Lingxi looked thoughtful.
“No wonder.”
“I once entered a dungeon where seventeen days passed. When I came out, I thought a long time had passed in the real world as well.”
Pei Tinglan nodded.
“The flow of time between the player space and the real world is also different.”
“For every day that passes in the real world, two days pass in the player space.”
Cen Yao was truly stunned this time.
She did the math.
“So we spend two days in the player space, but only one day passes in the real world?”
“Yes.”
“No wonder I entered another dungeon after only about half a month in the real world.”
Cen Yao suddenly understood.
At first, she had felt that the Horror Game's frequency of drawing dungeons was abnormally fast.
Only now did she realize that the time she spent staying, settling, and teleporting in the player space was converted into a completely different flow of time.
Pei Tinglan continued, “Every player must enter a dungeon at least once a month.”
“Low-rank players might be forcefully drawn. High-rank players can use points, items, or guild channels to select dungeon types within a certain range.”
“But no matter how you choose, you cannot escape the dungeons.”
Cen Yao fell silent.
“So most players stay in the player space.”
“Yes,” Pei Tinglan said. “First, the player space offers a longer buffer of time. Second, there are training grounds, item shops, information trading areas, and medical areas here. They can replenish their equipment and prepare for the next dungeon.”
“And there is one more reason.”
He looked up.
“Returning to the real world from the player space requires a passage fee of one hundred points.”
Cen Yao: “One hundred points?”
“Yes.”
“They charge a fee just to go home?”
“The System never makes a losing deal.”
Pei Tinglan's tone was cold.
“To most players, one hundred points is enough to buy a life-saving item, rent a training ground for several days, or exchange for plenty of basic potions.”
“Those who aren't rich in points wish they could split one point into two.”
“Naturally, they won't go back to the real world frequently.”
Cen Yao lowered her head and stirred the chocolate sauce on her plate.
She suddenly understood where the exhaustion on those players' faces came from.
Reality might be home.
But going home came with a price.
And even if they went back, they might not truly be able to live like they used to.
Since the arrival of the Horror Game, everyone's lives had already changed.
“So that's how it is,” Cen Yao murmured.
She looked up at Zhu Lingxi.
“What about you? Have you also been staying in the player space all this time?”
Zhu Lingxi was eating her last bite of strawberry ice cream.
Hearing Cen Yao's question, she set down her small spoon and nodded.
“Yes.”
“Since I entered the game, I have never gone back to the real world.”
Cen Yao was somewhat surprised.
“Not even once?”
Rate on N.U.
